As Long As I Have You
by nikpik
Summary: Ryan wants to be different. Different from his sister, that is. When Ryan finds that he has a talent, other than singing, will he choose what he wants, or what his sister wants? In some ways it is an AU... but the beginning is the same... Please Review!
1. Back To School

As Long As I Have You 

Back To School

"The fall musical was a success, and I hoped you loved our performance." Sharpay Evans said to the crowd.

She and her brother, Ryan, had hosted a New Year's Party at their house while their parents were on vacation in Colorado.

Suddenly, Ryan ran on stage and panting, said, " Shar… mom… coming… home… early…"

"Oh." She said, turning to the crowd, "Wellhopeyouhadagoodtime, but time to leave!"

At first, no one moved, but then Sharpay said, " GET OUT!"

And at the moment she spoke, everyone rushed to the door, eager to leave.

Ryan looked around at the house. It was on the messy side, but wasn't completely trashed.

As Ryan bent down and picked up a broken cup that was left on the floor, Sharpay said in a falsely sweet voice, " Hey, Ry, can you do something for me?"

"What?" he responded, picking up some more trash off of the floor.

"Thanks for offering to clean up!" she said, winking, as she walked up to her room.

"Hey!" he protested.

She didn't respond, but in the background Ryan could hear her play 'I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You'.

Next Morning

As a result of the twin's party, they weren't aloud outside of the house after 8:45, which made Sharpay screech in despair, but it was finally accepted after their mother threatened to make it a 7:00 curfew.

Ryan was up, dressed, and fed by the time Sharpay had woken up. He slowly descended upon her room, and was surprised to see half of her wardrobe lying on the floor of her room.

"Where is it?" Sharpay yelled, as she walked out of her closet.

"Where is what? C'mon, Shar, we're going to be late."

"Alright, alright…" She said, walking into her bathroom.

When she came out, she was wearing heels, a pink skirt, and a pink blouse.

While the two were walking down the stairs, Ryan asked, "What happened to the outfit you were wearing a minute ago?"

"Oh, Ryan" she said, walking out the door, heading to the bus.

Ryan followed, making sure to grab his messenger bag.

When the twins got on the bus, everyone was yelling things like ' Here comes the Ice Princess and her faithful puppy dog!' which earned them a glare from Sharpay as she sat down in the backseat with Ryan.

The two played around with their cell phones, checking their emails and whatnot.

"Aww!" Ryan whined when he realized he didn't have any text messages.

The two got off the bus and walked down the hall to their lockers, and Sharpay automatically had to wave away all the jocks in their way.

"Ooh, Ryan look, there's Troy Bolton!"

Ryan rolled his eyes, then said, " When will you ever give up on him? You've like him since kindergarten!"

She glared at him and said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing… nothing at all…"

"Thought so," she said, walking to homeroom.

The two went to their normal seats, and Sharpay said, " Hi Troy" then walked to her seat.

"I trust you all had splendid holidays, and there are sign-up sheets in the lobby for new activities, Mr. Bolton, especially our winter musical. There will be singles auditions for our supporting roles and pairs auditions for our two leads. Mr. Danforth, this is a place of learning, not a hockey arena. There is also a final sign-up form for our Scholastic Decathlon Competition, chem club president Taylor McKessie can answer all of your questions about that."

Suddenly, someone's phone beeped, so naturally many people reached in their bags to check whose it was. Sharpay, Ryan, Troy, and Gabriella all had their phones out. Sharpay turned in her seat to face Ryan, "Is it yours?"

Ryan just shook his head, no.

"Ah… the cell phone menace has returned to our crucible of learning." Ms. Darbus said, carrying an old paint bucket around to collect the phones. "Sharpay and Ryan, cellphones, and I will see you in detention."

The two placed their phones in, reluctantly, as you could see the surprised look on their faces.

"We have low tolerance for cell phones in class, so we will be getting to know each other in detention. Cellphone. And welcome to East High, Ms. Montez, Mr. Bolton, I see your phone is involved, so I will see you in detention" Ms. Darbus said to the new girl, Gabriella. She placed her phone in the bucket, and to Troy, as he put his phone in as well.

"Well, that's not even a possibility Ms. Darbus, your honor, you see, because we have basketball practice, and Troy—" said Chad Danforth.

"Ah, that will be fifteen minutes for you, Mr. Danforth. Count them" Ms. Darbus said, cutting Chad off.

Then Taylor McKessie had to get involved, " That might be a problem for Chad because he probably can't count that high"

"Taylor McKessie, fifteen minutes. Shall the hardness continue? Holidays are over people, way over. Now, any more comments? Questions?"

Jason raised his hand. "Jason?" she asked.

"So, how were your holidays Ms. Darbus?" he asked, earning many odd looks from his classmates. "What?"

And at that moment, the bell rang, dismissing the class.

Ryan and Sharpay walked out of the room and Sharpay directly went to the signups for the winter musical. And she was surprised to see Troy Bolton there with Gabriella Montez, the new girl.

"That's completely impossible…" she heard him say.

"What's impossible, Troy? I wouldn't think 'impossible' would even be in your vocabulary. So nice of you to show a new classmate around." Sharpay said. She then pulled out her pink pen and signed herself up in the 'pairs' audition space. "Oh. Did you want to sign up to? My brother and I have starred in all the school musicals, and we really welcome newcomers. There are a lot of supporting roles in the show. I'm sure we can find something for you."

"No, no, no. I was just looking at all of the bulletin boards. A lot's going on at this school. Nice penmanship." She said, walking away.

"So Troy… I missed you during vacation. What did you do?" she asked in her sweet voice, advancing upon him.

"Oh, you know, basketball, snowboarding, more basketball…"

"When's the big game?"

"Uh… two weeks…"

" You are so dedicated… just like me! I hope you come watch me in the musical… promise?"

He just nodded.

"Toodles!" she said, waving.

"Toodles…" he said back, smiling weakly.

**A/N: So how was that for a beginning? I know… it's sort of boring now, but what do you expect for a beginning? Me and a boy named Josh from Illinois wrote this over a chat on aim (we roll played it, Josh was Sharpay and I was Ryan) and It evolved into this story… So… how is it? Please tell me, I would really appreciate it! And Josh and I have already chatted the whole thing through, so It's just a matter of writing it as a story and typing it up (which is my job) so anyway… please review!**


	2. Take Me Away

As Long As I Have You

**A/N: Hello! Hehe… ok, Ryan's thoughts and songs are in **_Italics!_** Here is the second chapter, I hope you enjoy it!**

Take Me Away

Ryan was walking up the stairs to find his sister, but instead saw Troy Bolton looking at the audition list. When Troy left, Sharpay was passing by, so automatically he reached for her wrist and pulled her aside.

"Troy Bolton was looking at our audition list," he said urgently.

"Again?" she asked. He looked at her as if saying ' would I lie to you?' "Hmm… that new girl was with him and they were both looking at it… there's something freaky about her… where did she say she was from?"

Instead of responding to her, he just chose to study the audition list, earning him a scoff as Sharpay left. Ryan followed her into the computer lab. Sharpay sat down at a computer, opened a web search engine and typed in 'Gabriella Montez'. Sharpay pulled up a link and it read ' Whiz Kid Leads School to Success'.

"Hmm… an Einsteinette. I wonder why she's interested in our musical?" Ryan said, confused.

"I don't think she is. And we needn't concern ourselves with amateurs. But, there's no harm in making certain that Gabriella is welcomed into school activities that are… appropriate… for her. After all, she loves pi." Sharpay said, as she printed out the article, and made her way to Taylor's locker.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked, once again confused.

"Well Ryan… I'm just making sure Gabriella finds the group that is… appropriate for her. And like I said earlier, she loves pi."

"Huh?"

She scoffed at the cluelessness of her brother, and stuffed the pages into Taylor's locker.

Detention: Darbus Style

"Sharpay!" Ryan said, looking for his sister.

"What about me?" Sharpay said, giggling, coming out of her dressing room.

"What song are we doing for the audition?" he asked, following Sharpay who was going to go serve her detention for earlier that morning.

"Don't be silly, Ryan." She said, pulling out the lyrics to a song.

"No, I'm serious, I forgot."

Sharpay rolled her eyes and gave Ryan the lyrics to the song. He looked over the pages and said, "This looks easy enough, right?" He only got a wink in response.

"Does that mean yes?"

Sharpay scoffed again and walked to the stage where the detention was taking place.

Ryan and Sharpay were busy painting a giant ladder gold when Taylor ran up to Gabriella, paint can and flier in hand, saying, " The answer is yes!"

"Huh?" asked a confused Gabriella, who was busy painting a moon blue.

"That's a generous offer Taylor, getting to know the smartest kids in school."

Ryan, meanwhile, was watching the two, wondering what Sharpay was up to.

Then Darbus came over to the group and was lecturing them, when Sharpay came over and mouthed 'Bingo' to Ryan, who then understood, and nodded in response.

"Shar, get to work!" Ryan criticized, trying to get his sister to help him.

Sharpay pouted angrily and grudgingly picked up a paintbrush and started to help.

On the Bus Home

After detention, the two got their cell phones from Ms. Darbus, and boarded the late bus home. As Sharpay and Ryan got off the bus, Ryan asked, " So… which routine do you want to do when we get home?"

"Let's work over the song first, it could use our… touch"

"Ok… what song?"

Sharpay looked at him, as if saying, 'Are you really that dumb?'

"The one we're doing for the auditions!"

"Oh! Ok! So… what do we need to touch up?"

Sharpay scoffed at him and walked into their home.

"We should sing the song first and then decide, ok?" Sharpay asked, just to be fair.

"Ok" Ryan responded.

_It's hard to believe that I couldn't see_

_You were always there beside me_

_Thought I was alone with no one to hold_

_But you were always there beside me_

_This feeling's like no other_

_I want you to know_

_That I've never had some one_

_As good for me as you_

_No one like you_

_So lonely before I finally found_

_What I've been looking for_

"Ok… stop!" Sharpay suddenly said. "Let's go"

"Where?"

Sharpay just scoffed, then walked to their studio, located next their special auditorium-like drama room.

When the Song is Finally Done

"I like it… It's much better now." Ryan said, when the song was, indeed done.

"Yep… now let's start dancing" She said, walking to the drama room.

When they got there, Sharpay put on her dancing shoes and started tapping on stage.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked, completely bewildered at his sister's sudden actions.

"A special Sharpay touch" she said, complete with a wink.

Ryan grabbed the tape with the song recording, put it in the boom box and pushed play, realizing that there was a long night's work ahead of them.

When the Dance was Done

Sharpay gasped suddenly, then said "Ryan, I think we've created a masterpiece!"

"I think you're right!"

"Except, I don't think we need the Jazz Squares…"

"Yes we do, they're a crowd favorite, everyone know that!"

"Ryan! No jazz squares, are we clear?"

"No" he said flatly.

"Humph… we'll see"

The two walked out of the Drama room, and Sharpay grabbed her purse, and said, "I'm going to the mall"

"I'm coming!" Ryan said immediately.

At the Mall

"I'll see you later…" Ryan said absentmindedly, wandering off in the direction of the men's side of the mall.

Sharpay really didn't notice, but instead walked off into a candle shop, looking for something for Ms. Darbus.

"This'll do…" She said, paying for it at the register.

When this deed was done, Sharpay was walking to the nail place when Ryan hurriedly made his way to his sister.

"Shar!"

"What?" she asked, obviously annoyed.

" Do you know what time it is?" He asked.

"Um… I think it's 8:30 or so…"

"Exactly!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember? Mom and Dad changed our curfew to 8:45 because of the party!"

"Ugh… I forgot… All right, let's go…"

The two always rode the bus home, so they boarded the city bus, eager to get home before their curfew. As they boarded the bus, Sharpay said, " I hate city buses… they're so dirty…" as she sat down in the cleanest looking seat.

"Scoot over…" said Ryan, as he sat down next to his sister.

"Remember auditions are tomorrow" Sharpay said seriously, as the bus slowed down to make the first stop.

"How could I forget?"

"Remember last year?"

"No…"

"Which proves my point."

"What happened?"

"I said auditions were on Tuesday, and you thought I said today."

"So…?"

"After school you went to the auditorium, and you were the only one there!"

"So?"

"Just don't forget"

"Ok… give me a pen."

Sharpay looked at him very strangely, then said while handing him a pen, "For?"

"So I can write it down!"

She groaned, she knew what was coming. He was going to write it on his hand, which was a horrible habit in Sharpay's opinion. "You're not going to write in on hand, are you?"

"Yes." He said flatly, while writing ' **Auditions today!' **on his hand.

Sharpay scoffed while the bus stopped at their street.

As the twins stepped off of the bus, Ryan asked, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing!" she said sweetly. There was no need to take down her brother's high hopes. Not yet. She always wonders if he's mentally ill or something like that, but when he goes to take tests, they all prove false…

"Do you know what time it is?" Ryan suddenly asked.

"Do you have a cell phone?" Sharpay asked, getting her phone out. "It's 8:43, so we'd better hurry up."

"We'd better run…" Ryan said, his pace quickening.

"And get all sweaty? I think not." Sharpay responded indignantly.

Ryan rolled his eyes, and slowed down again, after all, Sharpay would kill him if he didn't get in trouble and she did. But would it be ok if he got in trouble and Sharpay didn't? Sure it would! Ryan thought sarcastically as he walked up their driveway.

At the Evans' House

The two arrived on time (just barely) and were surprised that their parents were home.

"Mommy, we're home!" Sharpay yelled.

"Hello darlings" Mrs. Evans said to her children as she emerged from the kitchen.

"Hi Mom," Ryan said, trying to be noticed.

"Hello, sweetie" his Mom said, hugging him and Sharpay in turn.

"Ah, my three favorite people" Mr. Evans said, coming into the living room where the family had gathered.

"Hi Daddy," Sharpay said, giggling.

"Ah, my Princess and Prince"

Sharpay blushed, then said, " Oh, daddy"

Ryan just smiled shyly in his father's direction.

"Well, Auditions are tomorrow," said Sharpay, sitting on one of the crème colored leather couches. "Me and Ryan of course signed up"

"Ryan and I, sweetheart," her mother corrected.

"So are you going to watch me in the musical?"

"And me too!" Ryan added.

"And Ryan" Sharpay said lazily.

"Shar, do you want to practice again?" Ryan asked, venturing away from the current subject.

"Oh! I have the perfect idea! Why don't we perform for mommy and daddy? If that's ok with you of course…"

"That sounds wonderful," Mr. Evans said, standing up, his wife following.

The two, followed by their parents, walked into the drama room, and walked back stage.

Ryan grabbed the CD, and his special microphone, while Sharpay got her microphone ready. The two did their regular exercises, and they were ready to perform. He adjusted his hat, and pushed the play button on the remote control.

The two snapped for a second like they had rehearsed and then started to sing.

_It's hard to believe that I couldn't see_

_You were always there beside me_

_Thought I was alone with no one to hold_

_But you were always there beside me_

_This feelings like no other I want you to know_

_That I've never had someone that knows me like you do_

_The way you do_

_And I've never had someone as good for me as you _

_No one like you _

_So lonely before I finally found_

_What I've been looking for_

The two continued, then when they finished, earning approving claps from their parents for their hard work.

"Bravo!" Their Mom said to them as they climbed off of the stage.

"Brava!" their Dad said in a booming voice that made 'Brava' echo across the large auditorium-like room.

"Thank you, it's all in a day's work!" Sharpay said dramatically.

Ryan rolled his eyes. His sister could be such a drama queen.

"Well, we're going out" Mrs. Evans said.

"Were are you going?" Ryan asked. He didn't get to spend too much time with his parents, but he didn't mind too much.

"Sorry champ, but your mom and I just want to build up our relationship," his Dad said.

_You're together almost every hour of the day! I don't think it's possible to build up your relationship anymore! _Ryan thought venomously. "That's ok, I understand," he said, despite his thoughts. Ryan said a quick goodbye to his parents and then ran up to his room, followed by Sharpay.

Ryan sat on his bed, and laid sprawled out on it.

"Hmm… I wish Mom and Dad would focus on just me for once. Not Sharpay and Ryan, Ryan and Sharpay. That sounds better. Or just Ryan. Just Ryan works just as well." He mumbled. He was unaware that his sister could hear his every word. She stormed to her room, mad at the self-centeredness of her brother.

Ryan could hear Sharpay talking to herself.

"And I, Sharpay Evans, will accept the award for Best Actress at the MTV awards!"

_Why does she have to be such a drama queen?_

"Yes, you ask me how I do it? It's easy really…"

_Yes, really easy, with your twin sister breathing down your neck all day._

"I'd just like to thank me of course, and my parents, and Ms. Darbus for always supporting me and…"

_… And your twin brother maybe?_

" And Troy, my future boyfriend, and…"

_Ok, ignore me, I don't care…_

" And finally, my twin brother, Ryan Evans"

_FINALLY!_

Ryan got up from his bed, grabbed some pajamas, and went to Sharpay's room. He knocked on the door, and Sharpay answered.

"What do you want, Ryan?" She said, obviously annoyed.

"I'm gonna go take a shower." He said, walking to the bathroom.

"Ok…"

Sharpay could tell something was wrong with her brother. It was like the connection between them was messed up, or blocked even. She walked to the bathroom that the two shared, and heard the water running. But behind the sound of water running, Sharpay could hear a voice, singing.

How could you know 

_That behind my eyes a sad guy cried_

_And how could you know _

_That I hurt so much inside_

_How could you know_

_That I'm not the average guy_

_I'm carrying the weight of the world, yeah_

_So can you get me out of here_

_Take me away_

_We'll jump in the car_

_Down to the gas runs out _

_And walk so far, and we can't see_

_This place anymore_

_Take a day off, give it a rest_

_So I can forget about this mess_

_If I lighten up a little bit,_

_Then I will be_

_If I lighten up a little bit, then I will be_

_Over it_

_Inside I'm alone,_

_But I will never let it show_

_I dread everyday_

_Too much work and not enough play_

_Over and over it's always the same_

_Yeah_

_But you can make everything ok_

_Take me away_

_We'll jump in the car _

_Till the gas runs out and walk so far_

_And we can't see this place anymore_

_Take a day off_

_Give it a rest_

_So I can forget about this mess_

_If I lighten up a little bit _

_Then I will be_

_If I lighten up a little bit_

_Then I will be_

_Over it_

Sharpay heard the shower stop and she immediately ran to her room.

"He'll be ok…" she said confidently. She didn't want to admit it, but she didn't want her brother to be mad at her. Hmm…

Sharpay got out of bed, and peeked into her brother's room. He was fast asleep, under the covers, and breathing heavily. Sharpay smiled sweetly, then went down the stairs, out the door, and to the garden. She picked out 10 beautiful roses, put them in a glass vase, filled it with water, and wrote a small note that read:

Good luck with the Auditions, Champ!

Love,

Mom and Dad

"Perfect" Sharpay said, as she left the vase of flowers, and the note, on his bedside table. She ruffled his hair, then went to her room and fell into a deep sleep.

**A/N: So… do you like it? The song Ryan sang was changed because it talks about a girl, but oh well… and speaking of that song, it was 'Over It' sung by Annelese Van Der Pol in 'Stuck in the Suburbs' a DCOM movie! Hehe… do you like Sharpay's 'nice' side? It may be OOC, but I dunno, I like it? Tell me if you do too… Josh and I are thinking about writing a sequel, so if you'd like Sharpay to be less nice, then please tell me!**


	3. Roses Are Red

As Long As I Have You

**A/N: Hehe. I'm back again! Hehe… I changed the story line… and poor Ryan; he has mental breakdowns a lot… I think I'm evil to my favorite character, so sad… Hmm… I could change that, but then again, the story is already written, so I don't think that will work… anyway, the story will continue!**

Roses are Red…

Ryan woke the next morning as usual, but there was a surprise waiting for him on his bedside table. Over the hours of the night, someone had placed a vase of roses on his bedside table. This was very unusual… everyone always gave roses to Sharpay, not him…

He saw a card, so naturally, he grabbed the card and saw that it said:

Good luck with the Auditions, Champ!

Love,

Mom and Dad

"Hmm… I wonder if Sharpay got roses too…" he said to himself.

As Ryan got ready for school, he remembered that today was the day of the auditions… he dressed in a pink button-down shirt, and wore a pink Berea… was this too girly? Oh well…

Ryan made sure to bring the roses down carefully as he went to the kitchen to have some breakfast before school. When he walked through the doorway, Sharpay squealed, " Ooh, Ryan, where did you get the roses?"

"Didn't you get some too? They were on my nightstand when I woke up this morning…" Ryan muttered as he made his way to the pantry to grab a breakfast bar to eat on the way to school.

"No! I bet Mom and Dad gave them to you! Why didn't I get some?" Sharpay said. She scoffed in Ryan's direction, then stormed out of the house. But she really didn't leave the yard; she just stood outside the door, pleased with her work from the previous night.

"Hey sweetie!" said his Mom, as she, followed by his Dad, made their way down the steps.

" Where did you get the flowers, son?" Mr. Evans asked.

"Didn't you give them to me?" A very confused Ryan asked.

"No… did we?" Mrs. Evans said in an undertone to her husband.

"I'm sorry son, but I don't know where they came from… where did you get the idea that we gave them to you?"

Ryan gave them the note that was in the flowers that morning, and they denied ever seeing it before. Then they sent him on his way to school, but even before he walked out the door, he saw Sharpay's shadow outside of it.

He walked out the door, angry at what his sister did. Sharpay must have seen him coming, because she was just at the edge of the Evan's property when Ryan walked out.

"Sharpay!" Ryan yelled, even though the two where only about 3 feet apart. They were already on the bus at this point in time.

"Yes, Ryan" said Sharpay, turning around to face her brother.

"Why did you give me those flowers last night? Oh, I know, you wanted to boost my confidence so I would do better and win you the spot? Well, you know what? That was low, even for you." He said, getting off of the bus.

"Ryan!" Sharpay said, running to her older brother.

"What do you want?" He said in a tone much like hers.

"I try to be nice to you and this is how I get thanked!" Sharpay said, angry.

"Yes, apparently it is!"

"Well then you can forget pairs!" Sharpay said, turning around and walking to homeroom.

"Wait… Shar… It's not you… It's me, please, I'm sorry… I'm just… pathetic…" he said, his eyes watering up. Suddenly, he ran to the park, which was across the street, and sat on one of the many benches spread around the small Community Park.

"Ryan…"

A/N: Hehe… cliffhanger… poor, poor, Ryan… he's so… mentally unstable… ok, I'll shut up now so you can either:

**Click on the review button**

**Or **

**Push the arrow to go to the next chapter! **

**Please review, I'd really appreciate it!**

**I'm sorry for the shortness of this chapter, but it's mainly just a filler in the story!**


	4. New Friends Maybe

Take Me Away 

New Friends… Maybe

**A/N: So… I have nothing to say, except that this is where the story starts to veer away from the 'real' High School Musical… the chapter is mainly Ryan-centric… as is the story, but still, if you don't mind reading about Ryan a lot, then you'll like it… flames are welcome, as long as they are in detail about why you don't like it… here it is! Oh, yeah, a lot of brother-sister fluff towards the beginning, just niceness I guess you would say.**

New Friends… Maybe

_"Wait… Shar… It's not you… It's me, please, I'm sorry… I'm just… pathetic…" he said, his eyes watering up. Suddenly, he ran to the park, which was across the street, and sat on one of the many benches spread around the small Community Park._

_"Ryan…"_

Sharpay ran after her brother, ashamed at herself that she made her brother feel so bad about himself… she was supposed to be supportive, not so discouraging. She finally got to her brother and said, " What's wrong?"

"Go away" he replied firmly, despite the tears running down his pale cheeks.

"What is your problem?" She said angrily. She was mad that she was having to be nice. _In public!_ That is not what she does, even for her brother, It could ruin her reputation!

"Just leave me alone!"

"So you're not going to tell me what's wrong?" she said in an annoyed tone.

"You… wouldn't… under… under… stand…" he said, wiping away the tears that were rolling down his cheeks.

"Well, duh, because you won't tell me!" She said, returning to her sister side. Deep down in her heart, she knew that her brother was very depressed and she was the only one who could make him feel better.

" What do you want to hear?" he asked, giving in to his sister's bribes.

"Well, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting down on the bench next to Ryan.

"That's what I'm saying, which part do you want to hear?"

"Why did you act like a jerk in front of students"

"Because of all the stress"

"From what? Who?" She asked. She was concerned with her brother's health, especially his state of mind.

"Mom and dad… and Ms. Darbus and…" he said, surprised that he could get all of that out. But he didn't have the heart to say what else was on his mind.

"Me?" Sharpay asked, slightly crestfallen. She did understand where that came from.

Ryan didn't reply for a while, but then said softly, "Yeah…"

Sharpay sighed then said, "Well, how did we stress you?"

"I mean, I love you and all, but I feel like I have to be extraordinary to stand out and not be shoved into the shadows. I mean, I'm known as 'Sharpay's brother' and not Ryan. And I don't like that." He said, standing up.

"Well, then I'll just have to straighten them up…" Sharpay said, also standing.

"NO! I mean, I think I should do this by myself" he said, heading towards the school. He didn't want to be late for class."Ok…" she said, following Ryan into the school.

"Are we still up for pair auditions?" Ryan asked, before he opened the door to their homeroom classroom, Ms. Darbus' class. They still had about 30 seconds before the bell rang.

"Sure… as long as you want to, Ryan."

"I do." He said simply, opening the door and walking into the classroom.

Sharpay made sure to give Ms. Darbus her candle, then she herself sat down.

The bell rang, then Ms. Darbus gave her long speech as usual, with half of the class not listening, Ryan one of them.

"… singles and pairs" Ms. Darbus said, and as the words came out of her mouth, Sharpay turned in her seat to face Ryan, who smiled in response, then turned back around.

The bell rang, dismissing the class, and when Ryan saw Troy leaving the room, he had an idea.

"Troy…" Ryan said, running towards him.

Sharpay scoffed. She wasn't a different person, just had a different opinion at this point.

"Troy, can I talk to you… alone?" Ryan asked. He was very nervous…would he reject his call for friendship?

"Huh? Um… all right…" Troy said, confused. What did Ryan Evans want with him?

"Here…" Ryan led Troy into a janitor's closet, which was filthy, there were rags and mops everywhere. " Troy, I need to ask you something really important." He said.

" Um…"

"Well, it's more of a favor, actually"

"Depends on what it is" Troy said, confused at what Ryan was getting at.

" Well, I've never exactly been nice to you, right?" Ryan asked, hoping to give him a base to work on.

"I guess not…"

"Can I just… you know… hang out with you… to get away from Sharpay… be my own person, other than 'Sharpay's brother' that is"

"Oh" was all Troy could manage to say. This wasn't what he was expecting to hear. He wasn't expecting to hear this at all, truth be told. "Well, if you want to hang out with me and the guys I can try to talk with the team…"

"Will you?" Ryan asked desperately.

"I'll try"

"Thanks, I really appreciate it, and I owe you"

" Hey, don't sweat it"

"Ok… if you want to get out first, then I suggest you go now"

"Right…" Troy said, walking out the door.

Sharpay spotted Troy walking out of a closet, and down the hall. "So, Troy, you're gonna watch me in the musical like you promised?" She asked in her sweet voice.

"Um… yeah…" he said, hurrying his pace. He'd had enough of the Evans' for a while. Especially Sharpay.

Ryan stepped out of the closet just in time for Sharpay to see him do so.

"Um… what were you doing in a closet?" She asked. Her brother could be so strange sometimes.

"Don't ask…" He said, heading to biology.

Auditions

Sharpay and Ryan were eagerly waiting for Ms. Darbus to start auditions. Sharpay was dressed in her costume, as was Ryan. She was holding her special pink microphone, and Ryan was holding his sparkling green hat.

Ryan and Sharpay didn't really pay attention to Ms. Darbus' speech…

And they were surprised to hear a very bad singer:

_It's hard to belie-eve_

_That I couldn't see-ee_

_You were always there beside me_

_Thought I was a-lone_

_With no-one to hold _

_But you were always right besi-de me_

_This feel-ings like no other_

_I want you to know!_

The rest were even worse. Cindra was diffinently the worse.

_What I've been looking Foooooooooooorrrrrrrrr_

Both Sharpay and Ryan had to cover their ears, she was 'singing' so high.

"And for the lead roles of Arnold and Minnie, we only have one couple signed up… Sharpay and Ryan, I think it might be useful to give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall.

The two stood up, but Sharpay, being the drama queen that she is, had to go first, so Ryan just let her pass, rolling his eyes as he followed her onto the stage.

Kelsi asked, " What key?"

"Oh, we had our rehearsal pianist do an arrangement" Ryan said, smiling. He walked behind where the curtain was supposed to be, just in time for Sharpay to snap, signaling the backstage workers to pull the curtain closed.

The two did their exercises, then Sharpay queued the music.

_It's hard to believe _

_That I couldn't see_

_You were always there beside me_

_Thought I was alone_

_With no one to hold_

_But you were always right beside me_

_This feeling's like no other_

_I want you to know_

_That I've never had someone_

_That knows me like you do_

_The way you do_

_ And I've never had someone_

_As good for me as you_

_No one like you_

_So lonely before _

_I finally found_

_What I've been looking for_

_So good to be seen _

_So good to be heard_

_Don't have to say a word_

_For so long I was lost_

_So good to be found_

_I'm loving having you around_

_This feeling's like no other_

_I want you to know_

_That I've never had someone_

_That knows me like you do_

_The way you do_

_I've never had someone _

_As good for me as you_

_No one like you_

_So lonely before_

_I finally found_

_What I've been looking for_

_Do do do_

_Do do do do do do_

_A whoa oh oh oh_

_Do do do do_

_Do do do do do do_

_Whoa oh oh oh_

The two posed and Sharpay muttered out of the corner of her mouth, " I told you not to do the jazz squares"

But Ryan muttered back, " It's a crowd favorite, everybody loves a good jazz square"

Sharpay ignored his response and shot a ferocious glare at Kelsi, who was just staring at the two as if they had morphed into an alien. Kelsi, shaking out of her daze, started to clap, which signaled everybody else to.

The twins bowed, and Sharpay was going to her dressing room, but Kelsi had a question that she was dying to ask, "Actually, if you do the part, with that particular song, I imagined it much slower…"

"If we do the part?" Sharpay asked, offended. She placed a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder, and said, "Kelsi… my sod off Sondheim… I've been in 17 school productions, and how many times have your compositions been selected?"

"This would be the first…" Kelsi said, scared out of her mind.

"Which tells us what?" Sharpay asked, trying to make it clear for the young composer.

"That… I should write you more solos…?" She asked, confused at what the Drama club co-captain was getting at.

"It means that you do not offer direction, suggestion, or commentary," Sharpay said menacingly.

Kelsi, meanwhile, was cowering back towards the piano.

"Are we clear?" Sharpay barked.

"Yes, ma'am!" Kelsi said, not realizing whom she was talking to. "I mean Sharpay…"

Sharpay smiled sweetly and said into her sparkling pink microphone, "Nice talking to you!"

Ryan, meanwhile, was trying to comfort some of the actors and actresses who were rejected rather quickly, and were now too distraught to speak. "The Theatre Club needs more than actors, it needs fans too, buy tickets!"

Sharpay led the way out of the auditorium, changed, and was walking down the halls when she said to her brother, " Ha. Neither of them showed up. The musical is as good as ours…"

"Yeah, the show is in the bag" Ryan told his sister, happy to talk again.

**A/N: So…how was that? A small twist that may lead to more… hehe, only Josh and I know for sure… Do you like it? Your opinion matters… and I don't mind flames, like I said, as long as there is a lot of detail… and constructive reviews are appreciated (actually, any review is appreciated…) Oh, and by the way, depending on how many reviews I get, will determine how long it takes for the next chapter to appear, so: REVIEW!**


End file.
